What are the advantages of using video for content marketing?There are tons of advantages to using online video in your content marketing. Video is a more passive and engaging form of content. Statistically speaking, videos are more likely to rank higher in search engine results. Additional research shows that users convert somewhere between 4-7x higher on landing pages with video than those with just static content. Online video is also advantageous for content marketing because you can actually be ranked in several spots for the same keyword just in different varieties. For example, you can be ranked 1, 2, 3 and 4 for the same term with one being a video, one being a blog article, one being a picture and one being a PPT presentation

What skills do you need to create quality video content? Can anyone do it?Anyone can create quality video content but as with almost everything, it usually takes more time than you think it will. For those just starting out, I would recommend transforming existing popular content into video format. It could be as simple as discussing a popular blog article or transforming someone else's popular content into video format. The biggest thing is to make sure you know why you are creating the content, otherwise you can end up wasting a lot of time.

What features make for an effective content marketing video? It depends on what your goal is. Most online videos should have one primary goal. Some videos are made to sell, some are made to engage, some are made to build awareness but all videos should have a defined goal, in essence, what the viewer should get out of the video and a next step they should take. For example, we make promotional videos with the primary goal being to communicate what's happening at an event.

Can you give some tips for improving SEO of video content?Figure out the long tail keyword you want to target. You can try using YouTube's keyword tool but I'd suggest using the AdWords Keyword Planner to determine which keyword you want to target. After you've decided on your keyword, you should try to make sure you mention your keyword as many times as possible within reason in the video on the audio track. Before uploading your video, be sure to change the name of the file to the keyword you are targeting. If hosting on YouTube, be sure the keyword is the first part of the title followed by a dash and the rest of the title. In the description, be sure to include your keyword several times. The first tag should also be your keyword. The biggest piece of advice for video SEO is to get people to watch your video. Share it with your various social networks, embed it on your website, and encourage others to like, share and comment.

What are some of the pitfalls to avoid? Spending too much time on a video. Perfection is the enemy of execution. For a one minute video, I've actually spent days recording and editing videos before. Give yourself a time limit and stick to it. Secondly, make sure you set aside enough time to actual create a quality production. Third, check your lighting! Dimly lit videos are no fun to watch. Fourth, if it's for marketing purposes, make sure you have at least an outline of what you want your video to be. The more detailed you are, the easier it will be to execute on your vision.

How can people learn more about using video for content marketing? There are TONS of resources out there for people to learn about using video in content marketing. Just search for video marketing and read some of the fantastic blog posts and how-to guides that are out there. Honestly though, its probably easiest just to start doing it. If you've never done so, I'd encourage you to just go to YouTube and look at the resources available there.